Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Nine Point Shot
by Lintilion
Summary: A fanmade part of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. The story follows Joshua Joestar, as he encounters secret societies, ancient tribes, and other strange characters in the arid town of Blackmore, Alberta.
1. The Family

**Chapter One – The Family**

 **Alberta, Canada. 2012 C.E.**

Joshua grunted as he lifted the last of his luggage into the small, fifth story apartment he'd rented. He surveyed the one-room pad with disappointment. "Much smaller than the website had advertised." He thought.

As he lay his belongings out on the bed, he spotted a door off to the left of the entrance. "Well at least there's a bathroom." After a few minutes he finished moving in his suitcases, and took a small package from his bag. It was a half-full bag of cheap coffee. "Alright, we're getting somewhere…" Joshua mumbled sleepily. Coming all the way from England to Canada was rough, and the jet lag had worn him out like a cheap sweater. A metallic glint from the luggage distracted him from the coffee, and he reached out for its source. A large tin of spearmints. "Finally, something's going well today." He thought as he promptly emptied the entire tin into his coffee.

19 year old Joshua Joestar had only recently arrived in the university town of Blackmore, Alberta, but already he felt like he'd lived there for months. It just had that homecoming feel to it, like this town was where he'd always belonged. He'd travelled here to Alberta in order to study Archaeology, the province being the fossil capital of Canada, but there was a secondary reason to his immigration from his homeland of England.

His family, the Joestars, though well known for its contributions to the sciences, had become deeply dysfunctional as of late, beginning when family patriarch Joey Joestar was found slumped in his chair clutching a weathered headband, his heart stopped. He was survived only by his grandson, Joshua. By 2012, the family fortune had dwindled away to almost nothing, and with nothing left for him in his homeland, Joshua abandoned the family estate and set his sights on the new world…North America. Finally, he was here. Ready to seek his own fortune, and see what the True North had to offer.

Joshua Joestar was enjoying his favourite breakfast drink when he received a call on his new landline. Odd, he had no contacts here, and he hadn't told his cousins where he'd be staying… Josh traipsed over and picked up the phone. "Hello, this is Jen from the Blackmore University! We'd like to thank you for joining our student body this semester!" the phone crackled into his ear. Joshua slumped back against the wall, a sigh of relief escaping his lips. Just some old University representative, nothing too worrisome.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Joshua replied.

"Just giving you the directions to your campus, since you're starting tomorrow!" She answered cheerily. Joshua's eye twitched slightly. The website never said anything about it starting on the third of August. All the site calendars gave the date of the first semester as September, nowhere did it say anything about August. Regardless, Joshua accepted her directions, and thanked the representative for her time.

He grabbed his mug, and bent over the windowsill. "There goes the whole week." he thought as he stared glumly out over the small town of Blackmore. Joshua frowned at the mug he held. The spearmints in his coffee had almost entirely melted. "What a day."

He spent the rest of the day making himself at home, and shopping for a vest, to weather the autumn months ahead. The next day, he made sure to get up early so he had time to prepare. He mixed himself a mint coffee, got on his vest and began his walk to the campus.

"Turn… left, at the intersection?" He looked down at the directions he was given, and back up to the old back street they were leading him to. Something had to be off, Joshua thought. That alleyway looked too small for a takeout shop, let alone a University. "Maybe it's one of those modern-type places, where most of it's underground." He reasoned.

Satisfied with his deduction, he made his way further through the passage. Water dripped from miscellaneous pipes onto the concrete, flowing across the stale ground and into an equally nondescript sewer grate. "Well, looks like a dead end up ahead, I better head back." Joshua thought as he turned around. When he looked across the alley, he saw that his path was blocked by a shadowy figure framed against the lights of the street behind him.

"O ho-hoh! You seem quite a bit younger than **Niko** reported! Just my luck, this pick-up's gonna be easy as cheese!" The man said in a rough cockney accent. Josh arranged himself into a defensive position. "Who are you? Did you send me that phone call?" Joshua was ashamed of himself, falling for such an obvious trap. There was no way a world-class university would set up shop in such a dingy place.

The man laughed. "Aye, that was Niko's business, not mine, and that doesn't matter anyway! You can't ask questions, bastard, not when I'm attacking you!" With one expert motion he tossed a throwing knife squarely into Joshua's shoulder, spraying blood all across the gutter-street. "Gotcha!" he shouted. "Now my **stand** , **Aqualung** , can fully take effect!" Joshua's eyes widened, distracted by the man's words in spite of his own injury.

"Stand?!" His mind raced. He'd only met one other man who knew of "Stands', and that was his grandfather, Joey. It was bizarre to think there were people in this small town like Joey and himself. If this man facing him truly was a "Stand User', then there was no time to waste in defending himself. Soon, his suspicions were confirmed when he noticed the skin near where the knife had hit him was turning pale and numb, and a transparent liquid was flowing from the wound. Remembering a cowboy movie he saw, Joshua ripped a sleeve off his shirt and tied it in a donut shape around the knife, applying pressure to stop the flow. He wasn't quite sure what the liquid now inside him was, but he knew it couldn't be good.

The mysterious man began to clap slowly. "Oh bravo, good sir! You've stopped the blood flow, but you'll never stop the effect of my Aqualung! You see, **Joshua** , mine is a stand which affects liquid, which was coating the dagger I threw at you! Whatever fluid it touches turns into a unique substance only created by my stand, including your own _blood!_ " Joshua looked at his arm. Almost the entire limb was going pale with the clear fluid produced by Aqualung. "And this liquid has many interesting properties." He continued, producing a lighter from his pocket. "Not least of which is its extremeflammability!" He yelled as he tossed the lit lighter onto Joshua's shoulder, setting it ablaze with green flame.

Joshua's teeth gritted in pain as he slumped back onto the wall. The man slowly walked towards Joshua's body. As he got closer, Joshua could more clearly make out the form of his assailant. He wore ratty jeans and an old striped shirt. His face was an image of bizarre contrast, shiny, spiked hair adorning his scalp, and a greasy brown beard hanging beneath his chin. But as he approached Joshua he noticed something strange, the boy's arm seemed… strange. His shirt sleeve made it seem much thinner than it should be, even considering his burns. He hesitated a moment, but continued on regardless.

"So, lad. Remember this fight for next time, don't try an' cross **Jamie White** unless you- OOF!" Joshua suddenly leaped forward, and smashed his arm into Jamie's neck, sending him flying backward into a brick wall. "W-What? Your arm should be burned to the bone! There's no way you could have the strength to attack!" The impact tore off what remained of the burned shirt, revealing what had happened. From the shoulder down, Joshua's arm had been replaced witha long metal cylinder, badly bent from the attack against Jamie. "Oh ho! So this must be your stand power! I gotta say I expected something…flashier, from a **Joestar** , but if it makes my job easier I ain't complaining." Joshua replied: "I can swap out parts of my body at will with objects from the environment. This is the ability of my stand, **Fastway**."

Jamie scoffed. "Whatever you say, kid, the battle was already decided when you entered this alley! Haven't you realized I've been doing, you dense bastard?!" Jamie shouted. "All this water around you on the ground… My Aqualung has meshed with all of it!" Jamie tossed a lit match forwards, landing it squarely in the puddle around Joshua and blasting green flames up into the sky. Joshua scanned the walls for an escape route. There! A rusty old fire escape just past the flames. He braced his muscles, and jumped. He swapped out, and caught the bottom of the fire escape, and clambered to the landing as fast as his legs could carry him. He took a breather at the top, and thought out his situation.

"Who the hell is this guy?! And how did he know my name was Joshua? More importantly, how did he know I'm a _Joestar?!_ God, this is just fantastic."

The whole reason Joshua had come to Canada was to get _away_ from his ridiculous family and all their schemes and rivals, and now here in Alberta was a whole other set of wackos, ready to ruin his quiet student life.

Unfortunately, he had no more time to ruminate. The green flames were writhing below like the spectral hands of dead souls, seeking out the vitality of the living. As it turns out his analogy wasn't far off, for the flames soon coalesced around the wall beneath Joshua, and began their journey upwards across the wall.

"Oh ho-hoh! I was really worried for a second there! I thought I'd killed you too fast to use my favourite move!" Jamie sneered, pointing up at him. "You didn't think all Aqualung could do was look awesome, did you? Idiot! Once it infects a liquid, my Aqualung becomes an automatic stand! It will follow you wherever you go, to whatever heights!" At this point Aqualung had risen to the fire escape landing, and Joshua ran to the next level above. Instead of pressing through the holes in the metal like a normal liquid, it simply rose through it, melting the inch-thick iron like it was wet paper. "What the hell am I supposed to do against this?" Joshua thought. "I can't fight fluid! What I should focus on is running. It may be able to follow me anywhere, but it's just a puddle. It can only move so fast."

As he raced up to the rooftop, Joshua finally took the time to inspect his injured arm. The entire surface was covered in a patchwork of burned skin and burst veins. "It's a good thing I swapped back during the jump, maneuvering with that hunk of metal would make this almost impossible. But still, running around these sharp metal corners with my bleeding arm is almost as difficult!" Joshua made it to the roof without incident, but Aqualung was close behind him, its green glow becoming more and more intense every second. He examined the rooftop's perimeter, but there was no exit in sight. Just when he was ready to give himself up, he spotted it! He began sprinting towards the edge of the building.

"That idiot! He's trying to leap to the other side, he'll never make it!" Jamie thought. Joshua jumped right across the gap between buildings, Jamie's eyes following him as he soared through the air, and landed neatly in an open window, knocking over a nightstand. He immediately turned and closed the old, musty window through which he'd entered. He could hear the muffled ravings of Jamie from the street below, which although he couldn't hear the exact words, could make an educated guess at their meaning.

"This should buy me some time, since Aqualung's all the way across the street." He thought as he scanned the room. He was in some kind of apartment above a shop, and it looked like no one was home. Lucky! That was one less thing to worry about. He wandered through the two room area, looking for something he could use to his advantage, when he saw a light was on in the bathroom. He froze. " _Was there someone in here after all?_ No, that would be ridiculous. Anybody would hear the racket I made coming in. Unless…?"

He walked on tip toes over to the door, and opened it a crack. Sure enough, an elderly man was brushing his teeth, blasting music on his headphones. " _Christ!_ He has no idea I'm in here! If he sees me he'll probably call the cops!" He sidled back to the bedroom. "But what's even worse is that if I want to make a move now, I'll have to wait till he leaves! That cockney bastard's got a massive head start on me now!"

He looked over, seeing that the man still hadn't left the bathroom. Every second he waited was another second Aqualung crawled closer. He weighed his chances, and made a break for it. He dashed across the room and flung open the door, taking the stairs down to the main shop. When he opened the entrance to the store, he was greeted by dozens of shovels, rakes, and other yard tools. "This must be the garden supply store, then. That means I'm damn close to my building!" He spotted the street entrance, and made his way towards it.

As he got closer, he realized that he was in big trouble. The entrance was barred by a metal curtain, which a large "CLOSED" sign on the door declared not to be opened until 9:30 am. "9:30?! That's 10 minutes from now!" He muttered under his breath. He was completely trapped in the Garden Emporium until then, and all the while he'd have Aqualung chasing him. He looked to the east wall expectantly, the wall adjacent to the alley he'd fought Jamie in. A green light was steadily growing brighter behind it. Joshua readied himself for the unavoidable fight ahead. The green mark glowed white hot, and Aqualung entered the room. It flowed across the ground towards him, nothing slowing its progress. "It seems like Aqualung's flaming liquid can't be harmed, so all I can do is try and escape."

Joshua stopped, lost in thought. "Hang on..." Joshua ran across the room scanning the walls. "It's an idiotic plan, and it could get me killed, but it might work!" He found what he was looking for- the fire extinguisher. He aimed it at Aqualung, and pulled the trigger, covering the puddle in a carbon dioxide fog. "Could the answer be that simple?" He thought.

The smoke cleared, and Joshua's stomach dropped. The mass was still burning, and Joshua was in no position to escape. "I have to think of something, and fast." He spied a shovel near him, and had an idea. " _Fastway."_ He called. Instantly, a blue figure appeared behind him, in a hazardous materials suit. The figure had no legs, and countless rubbery tubes hung from its floating upper half. Joshua made a quick motion with his head, and his stand moved out and hit a shovel, which flew towards Joshua's leg, replacing it. He was unbalanced for a moment, but he managed to stabilize.

"Walking with this is going to be hard, but it's the only way I'll survive." He leaned over to Aqualung, and stuck out his shovel-leg. The flaming puddle began climbing on to it. "Nice, Aqualung thinks the shovel is a part of me, and is attempting to cover it! It'd probably be easier to use a swapped arm instead, but I don't want that goo near my head."

He took quick steps across the floor, as he made his way to the entrance. Every movement was a brush with death, as Aqualung's flaming form stuck fast to the shovel. Intense heat emanated from the green flames, making Joshua sweat profusely.

He wobbled over to the entrance, and rubbed the leg up against the rigid metal gate. Just like he'd expected, it began to melt. He eased back to avoid getting any on himself. Soon enough he'd created a hole just big enough to clamber through, and walked over to the side in order to swap out safely. " _Fastway, swap back."_ He said, and the shovel fell harmlessly to the ground, revealing Joshua's leg, unharmed.

He rubbed his leg, and exited the shop. "Only problem with this ability is that I always get so stiff when I swap back, must be something to do with getting the blood flowing again. Now I should defeat the user, Jamie I think his name was, before I head home. He didn't seem like the type of guy who'd just stop chasing someone, and I don't want him messing up my apartment."

As he was about to search the alley, He heard a rough chuckle behind him. "Oh-hoh, look who's just shown up!" Jamie said. Joshua smirked to himself. "Perfect timing. Hey dude!" He shouted over to Jamie. "I'm glad you showed up. I was worried I'd have to look all over the block for you, but here you are! Hope this won't take too long, so I can beat your ass and be back before the place locks up. Might be a while for you though, with your slow-ass puddle." Jamie gritted his teeth. It was smug people like this who really pissed him off.

"Grr… You're just a kid! You don't have half the experience I do, you greaser!" Jamie shook his head, and stepped back. "Calm down, Jamie." He whispered to himself. "Remember what Niko told you, remember his training. My stand has no weak points, no exploitable flaws. As long as I keep a cool head, I can prevail! There's no way this guy's cheap tricks can stand up to my invincible Aqualung!"

He drew himself up to his full 180cm, and sauntered towards Joshua with renewed purpose in his eyes. As he walked, an intangible liquid began to separate from the burning pool in the store, and float towards Jamie, coalescing. "Oh-hoh… Watching your stand back there… It gave me some ideas! You think you can't fight a liquid? Think again!" Joshua stood his ground, and watched as Aqualung's form was absorbed into the ground.

"Is this a bluff?" Joshua thought. "No, this guy's too stupid to do anything besides a straight on attack. Either way, I'll play it safe with a quick jab." Joshua drew out Fastway's physical form, and gave Jamie a right hook for his troubles. " _ORA-_ huh?" Instead of the crunch of bone he'd expected, there was only the soft "squelch" of a flesh wound. Jamie grinned. "Oh ho-hoh!" Joshua tried to move his arm, but found he couldn't. Fastway's arm was being held tight by Jamie's fist.

"What?! What's this guy's deal, aren't people unable to touch stands?" He tried to free his arm from the man's vice-like grip, to no avail. "Heh heh… My stand can't hit like yours, but that won't stop me from winning this duel!" Twisting Fastway's arm backwards, he yelled out and punched the stand square in the chest. Joshua fell on to a trash can, breathing heavily. "Ah… Ah… Dammit, what's his secret? How did he block my stand's punch _with his bare hands?_ " He said pulling himself up.

"There's no way a person can interact with a stand! Unless… Wait… His stand's made of Liquid! Could it be?" He jumped up, and got into a fighting position. "Now's my chance!" Joshua ran across the sidewalk towards Jamie, and threw out another punch. Jamie chuckled. "Oh-hoh! You still don't get it, do you? Looks like I'll just have to beat you some more, and maybe then you'll learn your lesson, punk!"

Jamie juked and jived like a professional boxer, before sending out his fist to meet Fastway's. The two attacks rocketed towards each other, but just before they connected, Fastway's arm seemed to stretch up and over Jamie's hands, nearly reaching his face before snapping back, sliding neatly between Jamie's fists. "Hahaha! Are you serious?! That was your big attack, Josh boy? God, that was pathetic!"

Joshua took Jamie's insults like a brick wall. "Eh, I guess I could have done better than replacing my arm with a motorcycle drive belt for a little extra reach, but by allowing me to perform that move, you've just lost yourself the fight. You see, now I know the secret of your attacks. My fist grazed your arms on their way over, and now they're covered in some kind of residue. Just as I thought, you've covered your own arms in Aqualung's body, allowing you to interact with stands! I took a gamble on whether my hypothesis was correct, and it looks like it paid off!" Jamie cracked his knuckles and walked forwards, his stand-coated fists shimmering in the sunlight. "Well good on ye, kid, but mere knowledge won't save you now! I'm gonna beat you brown and red!" Joshua smiled, and looked down at Jamie's fists.

Jamie frowned, and diverted his gaze to his hands. A faint green glow emanated from his fingers. "The hell's that?" He thought, and opened his palm to reveal a bright green flame roaring across his flesh. "What the fuck? I was watching you the whole time! How could you set fire to me that quickly"? Joshua smirked. "My stand's speed and ability are perfectly suited for trickery. I didn't miss your face by accident, I was grabbing something. The matches from your front pocket, to be exact. Using the momentum built up by my stretch-punch, I got up enough speed to light it on your arm!" Jamie gritted his teeth. "Dammit, this isn't good. I'll need to call back Aqualung if I want to stop the flames! Aqualung, return!" He shouted, and the stand of liquid began fading away. "And now, you're all open!" Joshua yelled, and dashed over to Jamie. "Time to finish you off! _ORAORAORAORAORAORAORAORA ORAAAA!"_ Although Fastway was weak in physical strength, a repeated attack was more than enough to take down any human. A loud _snap_ from Jamie's right arm announced his loss.

Jamie exploded backwards, coughing blood, and landed among the trash bags near the alleyway entrance. Joshua adjusted his vest, and sauntered over to Jamie's cowering form. "Now… I was just gonna run away before, but I've gotten interested in this 'organization' you spoke of. Why don't you tell me about them, huh? Then maybe I won't break BOTH your arms, eh?" It wasn't like him to interrogate, but if there were other guys sent after him, he would have to know.

Jamie spat out a broken tooth, and picked himself up woozily from the garbage heap. "Oh… Hoh… Yeah, you think you're tough shit, huh? That you scare me, boy? Don't play that game with me. All this fight you've just been running and hiding, coward!" Joshua fought the urge to swing. The crusty man's trash talk was beginning to get on his nerves.

Jamie pointed a crooked finger across the alley towards Josh. "Heh, you'd duck and run like a coward all day, but when one measly opportunity shows itself you come on all high and mighty like you just beat me fair and square! Jamie snarled, as he crawled slowly backwards. "And don't get cocky thinking you won, you bastard!" Jamie yelled. "You're not the only one with a trick up his sleeve! While you were busy explaining yourself, I made a little phone call! My associate **Niko** 'sgonna be here any minute now, and he ain't a fan of guys who make a fool outta me!" "Niko?" Joshua thought.

He'd heard that name before, back when he'd first encountered Jamie in the alley. The silence was broken by heavy _stomp_ of leather on concrete, as a shadowy figure made its way into the road, silhouetted against the lights of nearby apartments.

"James? Are you around?" A gruff voice called. "I really didn't think you'd have this much trouble, and honestly, it would be better for your growth and development for me to leave this one alone."

"Oww, Dad! Just this once! He's a slippery one, he is, and his stand's not too bad either!" Jamie shouted.

The figure took a long sigh. "Of course, I'm not doing much at the moment, so I suppose I can deal with him for now. But next time, don't come crying to me about every idiot who hits you too hard." The man, presumably Niko, walked closer to Joshua, and took a small, skull-patterned smartphone from his pocket. Joshua tensed up. "Another attack?" He thought, as he looked for anything in the vicinity he could use to his advantage. "Either way, what's most important right now is to find out his ability." Joshua laughed. "What are you going to do, old man?" He yelled to Niko. "Hack my email?" Joshua knew from his father that stand users were arrogant, and would almost always stop to explain their power if insulted. Niko merely sighed, and pressed a button on his phone. Instantly, Joshua's world went black.

 **Stand Name:** Aqualung **User:** Jamie White, 20 years old

 **Ability:** Aqualung is a liquid stand, with no combat ability. When it touches any kind of liquid, that liquid becomes infected by Aqualungs ability, and will burn hotter than molten lava when lit on fire. The liquid will automatically track its target, melting only that which gets in its way.

 **Stand Name:** Fastway **User:** Joshua Joestar, 19 years old

 **Ability:** Fastway's main ability is that of "swapping" parts of its user's body for objects from the environment of a similar mass and shape. It is unknown where the user's body parts go when swapped out, or whether they move at all.

15 minutes later, an old man walked down from his apartment to find his gardening store ransacked, and the entrance completely twisted and melted. "Ruffians all about…" He muttered, as he walked over smashed pots and shovels to inspect the gate. He saw two men carrying a third over the shoulders outside, and asked what they were doing. The shorter one said "None of your goddamn business, geezer!" and spat on the ground. The old man sighed, and trudged back up to bed. This seemed like a good day to sleep in anyway.

After spending what seemed like weeks half-asleep in the darkness behind his eyes, Joshua awoke in a tiny grey room. "How the hell did I get back to my apartment?" he whispered softly to himself, but as his vision slowly focused he could see that was not the case. The hard, concrete walls of his chamber were more reminiscent of a prison than anything else. In the corner opposite him, the tall mysterious man he recognized as Niko was perched on a stool, polishing his black leather boots. "Whathe… whatthe… whatthe hellshgoing onhere?" Joshua said in a slurred voice. He attempted to sit up from the flimsy mattress on which he lay, but only managed a childish flailing.

"Hold yourself, kid." Niko said, sitting up from the stool. "You're still weak from **Rhinestone Eyes** , it's still going to take a while before all the pits are purged from your system." He sat back down calmly when he saw Joshua had finished. "Don't you worry, we aren't going to hurt you. Or at least _I_ won't, anyway." Joshua collapsed back on the bedding, feeling defeated. If this was a stand effect, he was just going to have to wait this one out. He spent the time as he recovered thinking of his fight with Jamie, and how he'd gotten his information.

It was no mystery how he'd known of the Joestar family, seeing as they aren't exactly the most discreet bunch, but how had he known of Joshua's arrival? Joshua thought he'd tied up every loose end when he left on that fateful night, but apparently someone had tracked him here, entirely without his knowing. And why did his GPS lead him directly to an ambush? He had a whole lot of questions inside him, but if Niko's apparently co-operative nature was any indication, he'd have plenty of opportunities to get answers. Content with this reasoning, Joshua slowly rolled over, and drifted into a deep slumber.

He awoke next to a knocking on the door to his room, followed by the clunky sound of Niko's heavy boots as he entered the room. "How're you feeling, kid?" He said. "That was probably the first real stand battle you've got yourself into, and I gotta say, you did pretty well. You probably would've beaten James, if I hadn't gotten there in time." Joshua sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "Oh yeah, means a lot coming from you, you kidnapping psycho. I could've been killed by that fire-throwing idiot!" He snapped back at Niko. "Well, he wasn't trying to, if it's any consolation." Niko replied, taking a seat in the corner. "James just likes doing his job, and doesn't like losing to a young'un like yourself. You have to understand."

Niko got up with a sigh, and beckoned to Joshua. "It doesn't really matter, anyway. Let's go get lunch, you must be hungry after all this time." He motioned for Josh to get up, and the two of them walked out. After passing through numerous stone hallways, they eventually got to a small cafeteria-like area. They sat down, and Niko dropped his hat on the table. "So, you're probably wondering why you're here. I can't tell you much right now since you haven't become a part of our family, but there's definitely some questions I can answer, so go ahead." Josh cleared his throat, and went ahead.

"So where are we?"

" **Mr. Polo's** private estate, the leader of our organization."

"Who's he?"

"A very important man."

"Fair enough. Why am I here?"

"Because of your abilities. That, and Mr. Polo has a proposition for you to consider."

"…"

Joshua was silent for the next few minutes. Niko produced a strange-looking salad from beneath the table, and handed it to him. "Eat up." He said. Josh ate his meal in silence.

"So what happened back there? In the alley, after my fight with Jamie?" He asked. "Was that your stand? Rhinestone Eyes, you called it."

Niko remained silent. When he finished, Niko left the table and motioned for him to follow. Get yourself ready, Joshua. It's time for you to meet with Mr. Polo, and find out why you're here."

This "Polo" character Niko had mentioned must be important, if not the boss if the posse, so Joshua had to act accordingly. He straightened up, and followed Niko out the door respectfully. "You got any mints?" Joshua asked as him and Niko walked down the narrow stone hallways of the building. "I usually have one in the morning." He gave a hopeful glance towards his captor. "Sure thing." Niko answered, producing a tin of spearmints from his coat pocket. "Help yourself." Joshua emptied the tin in to his mouth, and chewed vigorously.

When he'd finished with the mints, he decided to ask a few questions. "So why am I here? What are you going to do to me?" Joshua asked. "I'm sorry, but I doubt I'd be allowed to answer that." Niko replied. "However, there are a few things I can tell you. Number one. The man you are about to meet must be treated with the utmost respect. I will not tolerate anything to the contrary. Number two. I don't think I ever told you my name. It's Niko. Niko White." "Yes, I heard from your son, just before you knocked me out." Joshua replied. Niko shook his head, and muttered. "Ah, that's just like him. Always blurting things out. Anyways, just try and behave yourself, right? I know that it's rough being forcibly captured, but it's all for a greater purpose."

"Greater purpose, eh?" Joshua thought. "Funny, some team of common criminals thinking they have some higher purpose." All these fancy crimelords were alike, to him. They all talked about how they were the most skilled, the toughest the richest, some dressed in suits, some like cowboys, and some even in togas, but they were all the same in the end. Just a bunch of murderers and kidnappers with a stupid gimmick. "Just like the bastards who killed my Dad." He thought, almost biting his tongue.

Niko led the young man down a series of twisting concrete corridors, lined with heavy wooden doors. On each oaken slab was carved an eye, and a jagged, nine-pointed circle surrounding it. Eventually they came to a great hall. The concrete room was enormous, and built like a bunker. Thick cement pillars loomed high into the air, culminating in a ceiling just before they faded entirely from view. From each of these hung a white banner, emblazoned with the same jagged icon he'd seen on those doors.

On the far end of the room was a white dome, covered in metallic struts and wiring. A dull silver light came from the only visible entrance. "Enter." Niko ordered. "I will not go any further. You must have your meeting with our great leader by yourself. Only then will you understand our goals, and realize your place in our society." Joshua began to walk towards the door. Though it was only a few metres, it seemed as though years had passed after every inch. Each step he took felt like the slow, deliberate movement of a glacier. Eventually he made his way to the glowing dome, and entered the chamber within.

Unlike the shining exterior, the inside of the dome was a uniformly dull grey. Medical equipment of all kinds lined the walls of the small room, and a low mechanical whine filled the air. At the far end lay a hospital bed, occupied by a man so old as to look almost skeletal. The man stretched his arm out. "Joshua… My child… Come closer." The old man could only spoke, as he beckoned for Joshua to stand by his bedside. "Finally… The last of my family is brought to this place..." Joshua took a step back. "What the hell are you talking about?! I'm a Joestar born and raised, and I've never seen you in my life!" He pointed an accusing finger at the man. Joshua couldn't help but be unnerved by him. Something was strange about the way he talked, like his face didn't move quite as much as a normal person's should. The old man wheezed, and began to speak once more.

"It is only a metaphor, my child, for we are all family on this hallowed ground. You are only one of many who have been "kidnapped" as you say but every last one of them have joined our order of their own free will. Once you hear what I am about to tell you… You shall join their ranks as well."

Joshua took a seat by the bed. "Others? Family?! What is this place, and who are you? What do you want? The old man sighed, and sat up, revealing his bare body. Every last inch of it was covered in wires and tubing, connected to the medical machinery throughout the room. "Thank you. I was worried you wouldn't hear me out." He cleared his throat, and continued. "My name is **Marko Polo** , leader of the **Illuminati**.Perhaps you have heard of them?" Joshua was in total shock. "The Illuminati? _THE_ Illuminati?!" He said. " _You're the leader of the most powerful organization in the world?"_

Joshua's world had flipped completely. He'd always heard of the Illuminati since he was a kid, but he'd never believed anyone! He'd thought it was made up by adventure novelists!

Marko chuckled. "Ah yes, I suppose we have built up a reputation over the years… We're really just misunderstood, is all. For example, ours being the "most powerful organization in the world" is total nonsense, anyone with the slightest idea of how we operate could tell you that. We don't care for "world domination" or any of that melodramatic garbage, either. It is only personal enlightenment we seek."

Josh raised an eyebrow. "Personal enlightenment? What do you mean?"

"Enlightenment" is exactly what I mean. The Illuminati's goal is to gather those with "Spiritual Potential" in the country, and help them realize their inner strength by finding great truths within themselves. You are one of those lucky few gifted with this potential, which has manifested as your **Stand!** "

Joshua was beginning to worry. This whole Illuminati group seemed like bad news, world domination or not, and now they were talking about gathering stand users? Joshua didn't want any part in something so crazy.

Just then, something clicked about the old man lying before him. Joshua stood up and looked around the room. "Where is he? Who's speaking right now _? Your jaw hasn't moved a muscle since the start of your speech!"_

Marko sat up, and began to "speak" again. "I suppose you've discovered my secret. The husk you see before you hasn't been capable of speech in over 3 years." Joshua looked up, and saw a small, dark figure perched on the headboard of Marko's bed. It dropped down, and started talking to Joshua. "This is my stand, **London Calling**.Only through its form am I able to communicate with my disciples, and mislead those who would wish to end my life. Although it seems like a separate identity, I can assure you Marko and London Calling are one and the same."

Joshua frowned, and stared intently at the tiny figure. He couldn't have been larger than 20 centimetres. "You'd think such a powerful spirit would have a stronger stand…" He muttered. The little robotic stand sat down on Marko's chest. "Yes, well… I suppose it isn't quite as flashy as yours or Jamie's, but it changed my life when it appeared to me 3 years ago. You see, the ability of my London Calling allows me to see **backwards in time** , all the way to the day of my birth."

Joshua leaned back, deep in thought. He then leaned closer to Marko, and spoke. "But that ability… It's useless!" He told Marko. "It just lets you look at how badly you screwed up over the years, and even then you could just _remember_ what happened, couldn't you?" Marko sighed, and continued. "There's a long story of how this stand- and subsequently this organization came to be, and perhaps I shall tell it to you some time when you're older. Right now, I have a good mind to just let Niko take you away for another night, if you keep up such disrespectful talk. We need all the help we can get in order to realize our goals. Niko will make sure you join us regardless, but it would be much better for you to join us willingly. So, I have an idea for you- a deal of sorts. The enemy I spoke of are responsible for the death of your grandfather, Joey. Join us, and you will have the opportunity for vengeance when the time comes."

Joshua was shocked, and shouted back at Marko. "What?! Are you serious?! Tell me right now, who were the bastards that did this?!" Marko lay back down, and replied: "They are an ancient society of mystics who attempt to thwart our progress at every turn. They are known as the Hamon Tribe." "Woah." Joshua replied, sitting back down. "When the police took his body away, they said it was a heart attack, but I always suspected he was taken out… The Hamon Tribe, you said? I think I've heard of them, but weren't they teamed up with Joey? I know my Dad was a big gambler, and I thought that might've been why he was knocked off, by the mafia or something, you know."

"I don't know myself why he would be murdered by his own allies, but it is clear from their actions against your family and ours that they aren't to be trusted. But for now, to get to the real question, will you join us? As you have seen, the threats of this work are great, but the rewards to be gained from our field research will be earth shattering, for both yourself and the rest of society. What do you say?"

"Yes." Joshua stated boldly.

Marko Polo seemed surprised. "Really? Without even thinking about it? Heh, I suppose the dead Dad card was stronger than I thought…" He thought. "Well, I can understand your enthusiasm, considering what's at stake. Now take off your shirt."

To this, Joshua reacted with a bit of apprehension. "Wait, what? What does taking my shirt off have to do with joining the Illuminati, huh?!" Marko sighed, as London Calling stumbled over to Joshua carrying a large metal branding iron. "Just show me your back, and this will go smoothly." Joshua gingerly lifted his shirt up around the back, and sat down. Shortly, a searing pain flowered throughout his body. _"JESUS CHRIIIIIIIIST!"_ Joshua fell to his knees, scratching at his back.

" _Ooooh noooo..."_ Joshua moaned, as he clawed at his blackened flesh. London Calling emptied a comically large bottle of rubbing alcohol into a cotton swab, and dabbed it on Joshua's back. "I can see you're in pain, but this is a necessary evil if you want to join us. All stand users here share the mark of the True Trinity. Now, you share it too." With the little stand's help the pain subsided, and Joshua stood up again, using his cellphone's camera to take a picture of his back. Emblazoned on his back in scorched flesh was a nine-pointed star, in the centre of which rested a single unblinking eye. "Welcome to the family, Joshua." Marko said as Joshua returned his clothing to its prior position. "I see great things in our future partnerships, my child. Great things."

 **Stand Name:** London Calling **User:** Marko Polo, age unknown

 **Ability:** London Calling allows the user to see their own past laid out before them, from the day of their birth to the present.

 **Stand Name:** Rhinestone Eyes **User:** Niko White, 43 years old

 **Ability:** Can steal the sight and consciousness of its opponents, but the full extent of its capabilities are unknown.

Joshua Joestar wandered the streets of Blackmore as he made his way back to his apartment. There was still a lot to unpack from his meeting with Marko Polo, and more specifically his statement about the killers of his father. He'd already accepted Marko's offer of alliance, but he still wasn't sure.

"I was damn shaken when he told me the truth about my father's death… I definitely wasn't in the right mindset for making decisions then. I was an idiot for even giving him a straight answer."

He kicked a small pebble as he continued down the road. "Ah, whatever. I woulda been a part of this anyway, and I can't say there isn't still a part of me that wants to avenge Joey." He travelled up to his apartment, hung up his vest, and flopped down on the bed. _"The Hamon Tribe"_ Marko had said. Joe had often told his child of the mysterious power he'd been born with, known as _Hamon Energy._ Joshua recalled it was that same energy which allowed Joey to defeat Kars the Ultimate Life Form in 1950, a story Joey had told the many occupants of the Joestar estate on numerous stormy nights.

But something didn't add up. "Why would the Hamon Tribe kill Joey, an invaluable friend to the group? What had he done to upset them so? And why would they attack Marko? Weren't they supposed to be the good guys? _Had something changed in the society since Joseph defeated Cars?"_

These were difficult questions to sleep with, and Joshua needed rest. He glanced at the calendar hung above his bed. "Looks like the semester really does start in September. I guess that phone call from the university was a fake. So that leaves… one more month left." He tried to clear his mind of these worries, and drifted off to sleep. He had a big day ahead, at his new full-time job.


	2. The Confidante

**Chapter 2: The Confidante**

He woke up the next morning feeling refreshed, and had a deliciously bitter spearmint coffee, before getting dressed up. "Ugh, that human-torch asshat burned up my only vest… I'll get on that after." To cheer up, he decided to treat himself to a warm bagel from the café on his way to work. He walked along like that for a few more minutes, bagel in hand, until he came to the very alley in which he'd fought Jamie White and his Aqualung.

He rapped on one of the copper pipes, drawing out a trench coat clad figure from the shadows. "Niko." Joshua greeted the man with a flick of the wrist. "Joshua." Said Niko, replying with a salute. "Sorry we can't just let you in normally, but we aren't quite sure if we can trust you just yet. After all, you're a brand new recruit."

Joshua eased up to him. "Spare me the lecture, I'm willing to do what I'm ordered." Niko laughed. "That's the spirit, lad. Now let's get on with it." He raised his cellphone, and pressed a button on it. Once again, Joshua went unconscious. He awoke sharply in a solid stone hallway. "Inside the Illuminati base, from the looks of it. I guess this is how they bring their subordinates down here without them knowing." He sat up and scratched his neck, before checking his watch.

The face showed the current time to be 9:45, only thirty minutes since his meeting with Niko. "Seems like those "shutdowns", or whatever he's doing to me, are getting shorter and shorter. His stand must get weaker the more it attacks someone." He got up, and made his way to the large oak door. Inside he could hear talking, as well as some kind of rhythmic thumping against the heavy oaken entrance, emblazoned with the shining white emblem of the 9-pointed star.

"According to Marko Polo, this is where the other guys I'll be working with hang out… I should introduce myself. I don't care for those ideals that old man talks about, but I'll play along until I can find that gang of murderers, the Hamon Tribe. I just need to do my assignments with the rest of the people here until I get my chance." He turned the handle and opened the door, but before he could say anything, _WHAM!_ A long crossbow bolt embedded itself in the wall just beside his ear. "Oh man, sorry!" yelled a young man in a baseball cap from across the room. "I was just trying some target practice against the door, when you showed up!" He pointed apologetically at the door, where sure enough, a large paper target hung, peppered with holes.

"Man, oh man, you're damn lucky I was fast enough to move the bolt, or you would've been nailed!" Giving a sorrowful gesture, he sidled over to remove the bolt from the wall. After checking if the bolt had grazed him, he turned to survey the room he'd entered. It was a small living area, with numerous armchairs and coffee tables. The wallpaper was a series of lime green and olive stripes, and a deco chandelier hung overhead. As well as the furnishings, three men were in the room with him.

"Looks like these are the other stand users Marko told me I'd be working with today. Odd, I was sure he'd said there were more than this…" There was the "Crossbow Kid", pouring over a laptop computer, as well as a similarly light-haired guy with dozens of metal rings adorning his brightly coloured leather clothing. He appeared to be inspecting an orange rather intently, for whatever reason. As for the last person in the room… "Oh, dammit…" Joshua muttered as he recognized the greasy figure perched nearby. "Aye, **Domino**! You don't needta apologize to that chucklehead! It's his own fault anyway for getting in the way, man." Sitting on a round table near "Domino" was Jamie White, licking his wounds like a stray cat. "Long time no see, friend." Said Jamie, his voice dripping with venom, and his beard dripping with ginger ale.

"Who the hell decided to put me in the same squad as you?" Joshua answered. Marko had told him the stand users all worked on jobs together as assigned by Niko and Marko, but to actually put together two guys who'd been trying to kill each other only 24 hours ago?! That was madness!

"Hey hey hey, don't get your knickers in a twist, man. There's nothing personal about what happened between us." Jamie said. "I was only doing my job, friend, the exact same kinda job we're being sent off to do today! 'Course, I'm pissed you damn near broke my jaw off with that lead pipe, but I ain't not nothing if not unprofessional." Jamie spat with the effort wasted in those extra syllables, and put his feet back up on the couch. "So watcher mouth, Josh. Cause we may not be enemies right now, but I'm still gonna beat ya if you talk shit." Jamie raised Aqualung's fist menacingly, before going back to his ginger ale. Joshua breathed a sigh of relief.

"Glad that went over alright, I was scared he might kill me. Looks like the bonds of respect to Niko and Marko are stronger than I imagined" He cleared his throat, and stepped forward, trying to remember what Marko had told him to say.

"Ahem. Hello sirs, my name is Joshua Joestar, and I have been assigned to this squad by order of Marko Polo, to carry out his plans for furthering the Illuminati's great plan."

The other men sitting around the room nodded in agreement. "I hope that was right." He thought. "So you're part of the family, eh?" said the man in the leather suit, as he got up and began walking towards Joshua.

"That's some good news. We need all the help we can get, especially from guys who can give even Jamie a run for their money." Jamie just scoffed, and looked away. The man extended a hand. "The name's **Wallor**. **DiCappo Wallor.** Pleased to meet you, Josh. Can I call you Josh?" Josh nodded. "Great. I know you've met my brother, Domino." He said pointing at the kid with the crossbow. The boy gave a quick smile and wave, before turning back to his computer.

"And, of course you know Jamie. That's all the people we got in our squad. Apparently there's a whole other team in another part of the base, but none of us have seen them. Now that you're here, our orders should be coming in soon." Giving a quick wave, DiCappo sat back down in his arm chair and continued rubbing his orange. The heavy oak door to the living room opened, and in walked Niko.

"Good morning, disciples of the Illuminati. I am here to bring you your latest assignment from Mr. Polo." Hearing this speech for the first time, a shiver went down Joshua's spine. He already knew that it was in fact the real Illuminati that now employed him, but the thought of being involved in something so secretive and exclusive was still exciting.

"You're squad's objective is to perform the final recruitment pick-up. The target is a woman by the name of **Meralda Lorette** , 17 years old. Although the other recruitments so far have been done solo, we'll need the four of you to work on this one." The whole team raised an eyebrow, which gave Joshua a hint of worry.

"If I'm right in assuming this whole 'recruitment' business is getting stand users to join the Illuminati, why do we need four of us? Is this Meralda girl really so hard to handle?" Joshua asked, feeling a small twinge of embarrassment as he remembered they'd only sent one guy after him. "Meralda is a dangerous individual, with a criminal record. In 2010, she assaulted three people outside a convenience store.

The attack was ruled self-defence however, and she was spared from the slammer. We don't know much about her stand ability, but according to local newspapers, her three victims were left with strange, spiralling lacerations. Lorette is not to be underestimated, understand? By the way, you should all examine this; it will help you with your job." He handed Jamie a piece of paper, who looked it over intently. The other members of the squad surrounded him, hoping to get a glimpse of the page.

It seemed to be a file of sorts regarding Meralda, a quarter of which was taken up by a mugshot of a tan young woman. "Man. Bills, driver's license, MySpace username, you did a damn good number on her." DiCappo muttered as he read over the sheet, jam-packed with personal information.

"I never knew a cult could be so efficient! Honestly, something this thorough is like a work of art. Work of craft, at the least." Niko chuckled. "Thanks a lot, it's good to know my work's appreciated around here." DiCappo's jaw dropped as he looked from Niko to the file, and back again. "Hang on, you're telling me you did all this _by yourself?!_ " Niko tipped his hat, and started out of the room.

"You thought I just did the kidnappings? I'm Marko's eyes, ears, and arms around here. My influence in this town is greater than you'd expect. Now get out there, and follow your orders." Niko clomped out of the office, his heavy footfalls shaking the table as he walked. DiCappo adjusted his tie.

"Man, what a weird, vague guy. I wouldn't want to get on his bad side, I know that much. What do you think of his stuff, Dom? Hey Dom?" Domino looked up from his laptop. "Oh, yeah." DiCappo frowned. "Eh, what's the matter, kid? Usually you'd be all over tech stuff like this!" Domino motioned for his older brother to sit next to him, and pointed at the screen.

"I've been doing my own research, just to be sure. Want a look?" DiCappo walked over, and sat down on the floor beside him. "Shoot. We've got her name and address over here, what'd you find?" He looked over to Joshua. "Hey Josh, did I introduce you to my brother? His name's Domino. He likes computers. Not to say I DISLIKE them, I mean, I use them all the time at work, but I just never had the time to really _learn_ them, you know?"

Joshua stared blankly at DiCappo and his brother. "Is that so... So what research does he have? Would it help us?" DiCappo motioned for Josh to sit down next to him. "Well, come over here and see for yourself!" Joshua walked over to the duo, and the three of them stared at Domino's computer. Jamie coughed, and started clipping his fingernails.

"…" Said DiCappo.

"…" Said Joshua.

"So… When's this research of yours going to load?" DiCappo whispered.

Domino clicked on the window. He clicked again. "I… I think something's wrong with the computer." Domino said, as the trio stared at the blank white screen.

Domino hit the computer. A brief image of Meralda flickered on to the screen, before going white again.

"Oh, the screen cable's out of alignment. Good. If it was the internet connection causing this, I wouldn't be able to fix it. Hang on a sec…" Domino put his hand on the screen. From the place his hand touched, a white grid appeared like a ripple, spreading outwards until it covered the computer.

"Alright there we go, now I just have to…" He trailed off as he grabbed a pen from his pocket, and started measuring the side of the computer. "…about three millimetres difference…" Letting out a sigh of satisfaction, Domino replaced the pen, and took out a compass. At this point, Joshua was getting impatient. He leaned over to DiCappo.

"What's going on…? Is he using a stand ability? Why does he need a _compass?_ " DiCappo put up his hand. "Shush. He needs to concentrate when performing a translation on this small a scale, or he might break the computer, so pipe down, will ya? It's a good thing the Illuminati pays our expenses, or we wouldn't be able to afford something this slick."

Joshua shut his mouth, and watched. Domino placed the compass back in his pocket, and blinked. The computer's screen shuddered, and turned back on, showing a Wikipedia page for Meralda Lorette. The white grid covering it disappeared. "Wait, so what happened? What did you do to the computer?" Joshua asked.

"What you saw was my stand ability, **White Stripes.** After I touch an object, I can then move it any distance, in any direction. I just gotta know exactly how much I want it to move, and in what exact direction. I'm alright at math, but it takes a while to get anything done when working with something as small as a computer cable. I'm better at larger things, like crossbow bolts." Joshua raised an eyebrow. "Being able to manipulate your crossbow bolts on the fly, huh? I can see how that'd be nice." Domino picked up the crossbow, and pointed it at the door. "Yeah, I tried using a handgun for a while, but I couldn't get the timing down for the math. Crossbow's are more my speed."

After his brother had finished speaking, DiCappo called everyone together. "Anyway… We should get going, that girl isn't going to recruit herself. We can take my car." DiCappo quickly walked out of the room, dragging his Domino with him. Jamie hopped down from his perch and followed suit. "Come on, Joshy! Don't wanta' be left behind, eh?" Joshua sighed, and followed them out. The group walked down the drab stony halls of the base, and soon reached an elevator.

"So this is how people leave the base, huh?" Joshua thought. They entered the elevator one by one, and pressed the button marked "ground level". Jamie snorted. "Huh, normally Niko would be waiting here to take us up, maybe he thinks we can do this one on our own now?" Jamie did a fistpump, nearly knocking Domino's hat off. "Hurrah! The more he trusts us the more he'll pay us, I bet!" DiCappo scoffed. "He already pays you almost twice what we get since you're his son, you hack!" Jamie grabbed DiCappo by the collar, and hoisted him into the air. "Remember what I said about talkin' shit, aye? He only pays me more since I'm the leader of this outfit! And I'd watch what you say around your leader if I was you, Dicky. Just follow my lead, and we won't have problems, got it?"

Jamie put DiCappo down. "Man, it's not like I was _lying_ or anything!" He whispered to Joshua. "Yeah, why do you guys put up with him?" Joshua replied, prompting a scoff from DiCappo. "The pay here's damn good, and so is the cafeteria. Besides, Jamie's pretty easy to deal with when you get used to him, and he's reliable in a rumble."

Joshua looked over to Jamie, leaning against the elevator wall with a nasty scowl frozen on his face. DiCappo was watching him with one eyebrow raised, brushing off his suit with one hand and straightening it with the other. In the corner, Domino sat with his laptop bag, eyes darting across the room behind his wide brimmed cap. "What a team." Joshua thought as he slumped down to the floor.

A loud _ding_ signalled the end of their ascent, and Jamie pushed open the elevator doors, flooding the interior with the bright yellow light of the hot Albertan sun. The elevator had arrived in a small clearing in an arid forest. A sea of yellowed leaves extended endlessly to either side of them, and the very tip of Joshua's apartment building was visible above the treeline.

Joshua exited the elevator first, intending to check out his surroundings. "Looks like they rigged this up to look like an ordinary power transformer." He said, knocking on the side of the elevator. Joshua's thoughts, however, were interrupted by Jamie's booming voice. "Awright crew, here's the plan. We're headed down to St. Orif's street, where DiCappo has his car parked." He pointed to a narrow path leading out of the woods. "Now let's get a move on."

They followed the trail in silence. "I've gotta say, for an Illuminati mission this is actually pretty relaxing." Joshua thought as he listened to the wind, whistling through the trees. After everything he'd been through in the past twenty four hours, he was glad he could enjoy such a peaceful moment. Soon the trees drew away from the path, and they found themselves in a parking lot.

Various old and broken vehicles littered the concrete square, and broken bottles filled the trash cans. Something about the placement of the derelict automobiles seemed familiar to Joshua.

"Hey, this is the lot behind my building! They never mentioned any Illuminati base entrance on the website!" It worried him to imagine all the unsavoury characters passing through, on their way to whatever strange missions Niko prepared for them. "I hope nobody steals my bike."

"There's my ride." DiCappo said, pointing to a light blue Honda, hidden off in the corner, beside a dumpster. It was clear from the polished, gleaming paint that this car was well loved. DiCappo slid into the driver's seat, with Jamie following him into the passenger's. Domino and Joshua got down into the back. DiCappo started the car, and the squad rolled out.

"Hey, you got any mints?" Joshua asked his three companions. Jamie rummaged in his jacket, before pulling out a small tin.

"I got these. Dunno if they're mint or not, but you can have 'em. Sweets 'ave never been my thing anyway."

Jamie tossed the tin over to Joshua, who swallowed the lot. "Hey, I hope you realize that was all I got! Besides, it can't be healthy to eat all those at once!" Jamie shouted, shocked at the nerve of this newcomer.

Joshua chewed in silence. When he was finished, he tapped DiCappo on the shoulder.

"Eh? What's going on, Josh?"

"When are we gonna get there? We've been driving for a while now." DiCappo grumbled. "Hey, we're making good time for this time of day. Granted we lost a lot of time taking the highway, but now we're back on the streets! It'll be smooth sailing from here on!"

"Well… Okay then. Just get us there, yeah?" Joshua said, sitting back in his chair. It had been over an hour since they'd left, and were close to the downtown core of Blackmore. High-roofed townhouses lined the streets, and bus stops had become as common as trash cans. The noon sun hung high in the sky, shining an orange light across the city.

Suddenly, DiCappo called out. "Hey Dicky, what's going on?! You havin' a heart attack or something?" DiCappo turned to Jamie, beaming. "Look up ahead! That's Meralda's address over there!" He said, pointing to a small house on the corner of Ferdinand Avenue. Jamie's eyes lit up, and he slapped his knee joy.

"Damn, finally! I couldn't stand another minute in this tin can!" DiCappo gave Jamie a poisonous look, as though the man had just stabbed his uncle.

"It's not a tin can, dammit, it's the Honda Civic! It's the most popular car in the world! If you can't bother to learn about the culture, don't give out pithy criticisms!"

A glare crossed Jamie's face, and he turned away from DiCappo. "Whatever, Dicky. Just stop the car so we can get this over with, right?" DiCappo slammed his foot on the brakes.

The car continued to roll along, right past the house.

"Hey? DiCappo, what the hell are you playing at?" DiCappo hit the brake pedal again, but to no avail. "I'm not doing anything! Look, even the steering wheel isn't working!" Fear spread through the group, as they realized the gravity of the situation. "H-hey…" Domino was the first to speak up. "DiCappo… Could you check your fuel gauge?" DiCappo looked confusedly at his little brother, and then over to the gauge.

"It's half full, why? Is that important?" Domino motioned for them to get huddle together, and whispered to them. "The more weight a car carries, the more fuel it uses and the slower it goes, right? We started this trip with a full tank. I've added all our weights together, and it's still not enough to account for the difference in speed we've been experiencing. The fuel gauge was the final piece in the puzzle. We've lost too much gas that our weight alone can be held accountable for it. Without a doubt, there is **a fourth person** somewhere on this car!"

 _"Heheh, finally taken notice, have you?"_

The group froze. _"I was hoping to get this done with no witnesses, just in case your stand abilities need a voice or a face, but now I can see you're totally helpless in that tin can!"_

The voice was coming from below. "Could there be an enemy hiding underneath our car?!" Joshua thought. Jamie reached up and began knocking on the ceiling, oblivious to the direction of the sound. "Who the hell are you, asshole?"

 _"Hm, that raspy, irritating voice… You must be Jamie! Well, for the child of such an 'important' man, I suppose I can grant this one request. I am **Buio,** member of the Hamon Tribe. Since you are all tools of that villain, Marko, I have come to end your lives." _

"The Hamon Tribe? The association that killed my father?!" Joshua grabbed Jamie and DiCappo's shoulders. "We need this guy alive." He whispered. "We can interrogate this man and gain information about the other members of the Hamon Tribe. That knowledge could be a powerful tool in the future."

Jamie pushed the hand off his shoulder. "Come on, kid, don't be naïve. This guy is prepared to murder us all. Now isn't the time to worry about saving- "

DiCappo raised a hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but Joshua… You wanted us to let him live?"

Joshua nodded, prompting a smile from DiCappo. "My stand ability, **Slippery People** , is perfectly suited for capture!"

Joshua gave his back an appreciative slap. "Nice. First thing we need to worry about now, however, is stopping this car." All the while they had been talking, DiCappo's Honda had been speeding faster and faster, towards its unknown destination. Trees and buildings whipped by the windows like baseballs from a professional pitcher.

 _"Heheh, I can hear you plotting in there… This is your fate! No one can escape fate, not even the gods! In a short while this car will plunge into Blackmore Lake, killing you all!"_

Meanwhile, Domino began loading up his crossbow. "Hey DiCappo, I need you to use your stand on the floor there." DiCappo turned. "Yeah. I got ya. _Slippery People!"_

A beige, humanoid stand appeared behind DiCappo. It looked more or less human, aside from the robotic, headlamp-like eyes, and a large fin travelling the length of its back. A motif of black concentric circles dominated its chest space. _"HIYA!"_ DiCappo gave a yell, and punched into the floor with his stand. Where its fist hit, a small beige bathtub plug was visible, stuck into the carpeting.

DiCappo grabbed a thin black chain attached to the plug, and glanced over to Domino. _"NOW!"_ He shouted, and pulled on the chain. As the plug gave way, a great pressure began to pull on everything in the car, as though it was all water that Slippery People's bath drain was trying to empty out.

Domino wasted no time in maneuvering himself over the drain. And aimed his crossbow straight down. Without a word, he let loose a bolt through the opening.

 _"AIIIIIIIIIGH!"_ A loud scream emanated from below the car, as well as a hearty _THUD_. Soon after, the car stopped moving. "NIICE!" DiCappo said to his little brother, and the two exchanged a high five. He put a hand on Joshua's shoulder. "How was that for ya? I think we pretty much took care of him with that bolt, eh? Let's head over to Meralda's." He noticed Joshua's surprised expression.

"Oh, yeah. That's my stand, slippery people. It has the ability to place a 'bath drain' on an object, which when opened, will suck in objects close enough to it. I had Domino shoot his bolt through the hole." Jamie grabbed the two, and pointed out the back window. "Oy, no time to explain shit! That lad we knocked off is still alive! I think he's tryna come back for more!" Outside, a long haired man with a beard was picking himself up off the ground.

 **Stand Name:** White Stripes **User:** Domino Wallor, 18 years old

 **Abilities:** After touching an object, the user can manipulate the location of that object, in a similar manner to the mathematical "translation" principle. One drawback of the ability is that the user must decide exactly how far (say, 5 metres) to move the object beforehand.

 **Stand Name:** Slippery People **User:** DiCappo Wallor, 27 years old

 **Abilities:** By punching a surface or object, Slippery People can create a bathtub drain, which connects to the other side of the surface/object. When the drain is opened, a large suction force is created, pulling nearby objects through the drain. If an object is too large to fit through the drain, it will shift and bend like fluid in order to enter the hole.

The long-haired man coughed up blood as he tried to think straight. "Shit… I was careless. I thought I could kill them all by driving their car into the lake, but I underestimated those freaks' abilities. Dammit, they've got to be within a 20 metres of me, I have to think of something…"

Joshua and company exited the car, and approached the man. Jamie whispered to his crew. "Hey, this guy said he was from the Hamon Tribe… Isn't that the big bad Marko was pissin' on about? The lightning guys? Aw man, what the fuck are we doing? Does anyone here even know how to fight their bullshit?" Joshua remembered Joey, and his father's times with the Hamon tribe. From what he'd heard, it was just a bunch of Italian jokers, slapping around with magic static electricity. Nothing more than a parlour trick.

"Hey, relax man." DiCappo put an arm around his buddy. "I read a Wikipedia article on them, apparently they use a breathing technique to generate yellow sparks, which are conducted from their hands. This isn't gonna be a problem for stand users like us, they won't even get close enough to attack!" Jamie grinned. "Oh-hoh, sounds like a plan! I'll just head over and get the party started then, eh?" DiCappo tried to grab him, but to no avail. Jamie ran over to the crumpled man, and shot a small kick to his head.

Instantly, the man's eyes darted upwards, and he snapped out his hands, grasping Jamie's leg in midair. _"OH what the FUCK?! How'd he grab me?!"_ Jamie thought. "Aqualung, kill that bitch!" He shouted as he readied a throwing knife. As he said those words, however, thick black sparks began coursing across his knee. With each passing wave, he could feel the ground swimming beneath him. A low moan was all that escaped his lips.

"Hey Jamie, what's going on? Just hit him off with your Aqualung!" DiCappo shouted. Joshua watched the two stay motionless, as DiCappo yelled encouragement. Something had happened to Jamie. Whatever strange Hamon the tribesman had used on him, it was something capable of _combatting stand users._ Domino and DiCappo grabbed Joshua. "Some rough crap is going down over there, and we're gonna deal with it. Let's go save our squad leader."

As they got closer, they saw what exactly had happened to Jamie. A strange network of dark black sparks danced across his skin, making small popping noises, as the Hamon Tribesman held his pinky to Jamie's neck. A devious smile spread across his moustachioed lips, as he snapped his fingers. Jamie's eyes went white, and his body dropped to the floor, convulsing as the strange sparks tore across his nerve endings.

DiCappo stared at the body, knowing that to help him would only add another body to the twitching pile. The important thing now was to defeat this man, and get Jamie back by force. "You fuckin' piece of shit, you. What the hell did you do to him?!" Domino yelled. The man chuckled. "That was a technique I created myself, to deal with _stand users._ I call it the **Obsidian Black Overdrive. My full name is Buio Zeppeli, and I am the second Confidante of the Hamon Tribe. For the abominable crime you wish to commit, I have been sent to kill you.**


End file.
